1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to the application of the Light Emitting Diode (“LED”) light source to form a very thin LED flat luminaire for general indoor and outdoor lighting purposes. The luminaire, specifically, reflects and diffuses light from an LED light source which is installed along the edges of the very thin light structure. The light rays are diffused in a manner that provides uniform illumination and color temperature across the luminaire such that there is no irritation from directly looking at the light source.
2. Description of the Related Art
LED technology provides for the manufacture of light fixtures that offer high lumen illumination, low energy consumption, and extended life cycle compared to traditional lighting sources such as fluorescent or incandescent light bulbs. However, in current applications of LED technology for general lighting purposes, the LED light source is arranged so that the LED light provides illumination directly to the area/space requiring light. This results in glare which may be uncomfortable to the eyes when the LED light source is looked at directly. Another current application of LED lighting technology uses an LED light source to illuminate the backside of a display board to display graphics and/or textual information to a user. In this approach, the displaying material acts to diffuse the light from the LED light source.
Another approach which incorporates a reflection or diffusion panel including a plurality of tiny bumps distributed across the panel has also been used in an attempt to diffuse light from and LED source arranged along the side of the luminaire. This approach utilizes internal reflections within the bumps to spread the light over the surface of the luminaire. However, the usage of such a structure results in increased complexity of manufacture, and increased thickness of the luminaire.
What has been needed, and heretofore unavailable, is a thin, easily manufactured luminaire that provides uniform illumination across the surface of the luminaire. Such a luminaire would be side lit by one or more LED light sources, yet be thin, reliable, and easy to manufacture. The luminaire would be configured to (i) reflect the sharp light rays directly emitting from the LED light source and (ii) distribute the light rays uniformly to the space without compromising the amount of lumens provided by the luminaire. Furthermore, the resulting light rays from the luminaire should provide a comfortable lighting experience.